Monday, June 24, 2013

Aircons are very beneficial because they provide us with a comfortable
environment at home or at work throughout all seasons like spring,
summer, autumn and at times winter too! These days Singaporeans are
enjoying additional benefits from aircons because a majority of them
come with filters. These filters catch pollutants, odors, minute
airborne particles and mites, thereby producing cleaner and fresher air
in the room. However, there are many potential health hazards that
aircons can cause, therefore it is necessary to check and maintain one's
aircon from time to time to ensure that there is nothing wrong with it
and that it is working fine.

One of the potential hazards associated with aircons would be aircon
leaking Freon gas. Freon gas is a combination of numerous CFCs or
Chlorofluorocarbons, which are used as coolant in case of aircons. At
times, it may so happen that there is leakage of Freon gas, such leaks
are extremely dangerous both for human beings and for the environment,
therefore it is imperative to be able to indentify Freon gas leaks in
the aircon as and when they occur. One would be able to tell that aircon
leaking Freon gas is happening because the gas has a peculiar smell,
slightly sweet, similar to ether or chloroform. The smell would more or
less resemble the fragrant of a freshly mowed grass lawn.

One of the best ways of detecting instances of aircon leaking Freon gas
would be to use a low flame portable burner. These burners do not harm
the components of the AC units and are extremely effective for detecting
Freon gas leakage. If there is a leakage of Freon gas then the color of
the flame would immediately turn greenish-blue or green. In case of
very small leakages, ultraviolet lamps can be used for detection of the
same.

Liquid Tracers can be easily found in Singapore. These are very
effective for the purpose of detecting leakage of Freon gas because they
provide accurate and precise results. A good example of liquid tracers
would be fluorescent dyes. These are used along with coolants inside the
aircon and the system is permitted to run for a certain period of time.
This way, the dye would remain at the leaked spots and it would be
extremely easy to locate the malfunctioning or damaged regions of the
aircon. Once the purpose is met, one can use cleaning solutions to get
rid of the dye spots.

One can also use a handheld leakage detection device for the purpose of
detecting Freon leakage. These are advanced electronic devices that are
fitted with Freon sensors and can sense its excess presence in the room.
These are available in different forms like audio-visual ones or simple
audio ones. On detection of your aircon leaking Freon gas, you should
replace the parts of the aircon from which leakage is occurring.
Generally, it is the evaporation coil that needs to be replaced, but in
case the problem is severe then one will have to replace the entire line
set including the copper tubing.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

It is unimaginable how our daily activities would be without aircons.
Most are the times when there are extreme temperatures both at home and
in our offices. Thanks to aircons, we can set temperatures in the range
that we feel comfortable in. Periodically, aircons need to be serviced
and maintained to stay in optimal performance. One of the little known
problems is the need to for a gas top up.

Sometimes the tubing system of the aircons is damaged and starts to leak
the refrigerant. This might take a short white or take a long time to
several years. Almost all of the aircons do leak but most take quite a
long time to finish the available refrigerant. It is not a big deal
finding the location of the leak. Topping up will just be fine. However,
there may be a need to find the location of the leak if the refrigerant
runs out in a few weeks time.
How an aircons works
Aircons have three components namely, condensation unit, compression
unit and evaporation unit. The three components work together to
condition air from outside. The units basically work like a
refrigerator. The difference in operation is the fact that the aircons
undertakes to regulate temperature in a big area than the refrigerator.
They use chemicals that can change air into fluid and back to air thus
dehumidifying the air indoors.

The compression unit and condensation units are normally out of the
house. The compression unit takes air at low pressure and compresses it
into a fluid with high pressure. This fluid then flows to the
condensation unit. This unit filters out any heat from the fluid but
does not evaporate the fluid. The fluid then moves into the evaporating
unit in the house that evaporate it back to air. This cold air cools the
house considerably.

Gas top up is simply refers to the action of filling up the refrigerant
gas so that the units can work correctly. If there is no gas or the gas
is too low, the aircons will not work or if working, it is not able to
bring the temperature back to the required level. If the aircons seems
to be working just fine but does not bring the room temperature to the
required range, its gas reserves might be depleted and needs a refill.
The amount of refrigerant gas that the unit requires depends on the size
of the aircons and the amount of gas left in the unit.

Several brands in the market sell the refrigerant gas. However, not
every brand is of the right quality. Most of the cheap refrigerant gas
fills contain hydrocarbons that damage the ozone layer and dangerous to
one's health. Before choosing the brand to purchase, one should go
through the aircons user's manual or consult a professional technician.
International regulations require the gas top up to have an equivalent
of 510g of R12 and 468g of R134a. The product should also contain a mark
of quality from the country's standardization unit. The process of
aircon topping up with gas may require professional aid if one suspects a
large leak. Otherwise, the top up gas come with instructions on the
process.